Review: No matter the day, fans delight in Buffett show in Burgettstown

by VAUNDA BONNETTAugust 24, 2016

Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefer Band at First Niagara Pavilion, Burgettstown, Aug. 23. 2016. From left: Robert Greenidge. Jimmy Buffett, Michael Utley

Well, the name of the tour is I Don’t Know.

At First Niagara Pavilion on Aug. 23, Jimmy Buffett “forgot” what day it was, making references to Pittsburgh-area Parrot Heads starting off the weekend on Thursday night.

Yeah, it was a Tuesday.

It went on for awhile, until someone finally clued him in to why the crowd was roaring every time he said Thursday.

“I don’t think this crowd and this city minds starting the weekend on Tuesday,” Buffett said.

Which set up a running gag of sneaking “Tuesday” and ” Tuesday night” into pretty much every song that had a time element.

But whether originally a glitch or planned, the gag had no effect on the musical part of the concert. The well-drilled machine that is the Coral Reefer Band kept the songs blazing.

For a change, the weather in Burgettstown wasn’t just here, it was beautiful. Unlike some recent years, fans weren’t melting into the parking lot or dodging lightning.

Buffett continued a couple of new themes for his concerts this year. The featured album was “Floridays,” his 1986 album that includes the title song, “First Look” and “Meet Me in Memphis” that he performed last night. The “Door No. 3″ song, one from what started at the beginning of the tour as a list of 100 songs Buffett hadn’t performed in concert for 10 years or more, was “Coastal Confessions,” from 2004′s “License to Chill.”

Buffett and a few of the Coral Reefers also did an acoustic set as “Daphne Blue and the Show Ponies,” putting a bluegrass spin on a few songs. It started with his song for his daughter, “Delaney Talks to Statues,” then went into a tribute to the late Glenn Frey with the song “Gypsies in the Palace” that Frey co-wrote and the Eagles cover “Take It Easy” performed in front of a projected vintage photo of Buffett with Frey. How vintage? They both had big hair.

One of the more interesting parts of this section, which features mandolins and accordion, was percussionist Eric Darken’s contribution: Instead of using a drum, he banged out rhythms on the body of a guitar.

And while Buffett has said he’ll be taking a break from touring after this run, you wouldn’t have known it from the fan reaction. They still roared when on the first encore, “One Particular Harbor,” he followed the line “and finally disappear” with “not yet.” The crowd was still calling for more when the final notes of “Love and Luck” died out.

Vaunda Bonnett is a staff writer for the Tribune-Review. Reach her at 412-320-7917 or vbonnett@tribweb.com.